Our commitment to equality

It is our commitment to ensure we provide all employees and job applicants with equality of opportunity in employment. Our employment policies and practices reflects this commitment by recognising equality, diversity and inclusion as a matter of good management practice.

All councils are committed to meeting the aims of Section 149 (Public Sector Equality Duty) of the Equality Act 2010 to:

eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation

advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t

foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t

We treat all people fairly, so that no employee or job applicant experiences unlawful or unfair discrimination on the grounds of age; disability; sex; gender identity; marital status; race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins); religion or belief; responsibility for dependents; sexual orientation; unrelated criminal convictions; membership or non-membership of a trade union or political beliefs.

Equality of opportunity

We believe that people who apply for a job or already work for us have the right to equality of opportunity and fairness when employed. We want to ensure that our employment practices and services are free from discrimination and prejudice. To help us achieve this we:

monitor the profile of our workforce

publish relevant data on a regular basis

If you would like further information on our policies, please contact the relevant council.

Dorset County Council has five employee staff support groups:

Disability

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT)

Dyslexia & upper body mobility issues (Dragon users group)

Carers

Christian Fellowship

The groups provide peer support, mentoring and a forum for discussing appropriate issues of mutual interest.

Disability Confident

All councils are members of The Disability Confident Scheme which aims to help employers make the most of the opportunities provided by employing disabled people; this is a voluntary scheme developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives.

As disability employers we are all committed to:

challenging attitudes towards disability

increasing understanding of disability

removing barriers for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions in employment

Actions we take to maintain these commitments include:

making sure our job application is fully accessible

guaranteeing an interview to all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for an advertised job role

making reasonable adjustments through the recruitment process to ensure that disabled applicants have the best opportunity to demonstrate their ability to undertake the role.

ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made for disabled staff when they start work e.g. specialist equipment, flexible working, where there is no adverse impact on the business

working closely with the Disability Staff Support to consult and get feedback on the experiences of staff with disabilities